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Dr. Wells Is Missing
| Special = | Introducing = | Appearance = | Also = | Co = | With = | Uncredited = | Uncertain = | Producer = Sam Strangis and Donald R. Boyle | Writer = Elroy Schwartz and Krishna Shah & William Keenan | Teleplay = | Story = | Director = Virgil W. Vogel | Production = 40021 | Original = March 29, 1974 | Prev = The Rescue of Athena One | Next = The Last of the Fourth of Julys | Related = }} Summary Dr. Rudy Wells - the man responsible for the creation of Bionics - is in the European country of Austria to receive an honorary doctorate from his alma mater. However, before he can do so he is kidnapped by a group of international criminals led by brothers Alfredo and Julio Tucelli who want Dr. Wells to build a Bionic man for them. Steve Austin's search for Dr. Wells leads him first to Innsbruck, Austria. At Dr. Well's hotel, Steve is told that he left to stay with some “friends”. Certain that Dr. Wells has been taken against his own will — a fact soon confirmed when Steve gets caught in a deadly mountain car chase — the trail leads Steve to a remote castle in Mondsee. Rudy is being held there, for reasons Steve initially finds unclear. He gains entry to the castle but once inside he is knocked out and captured by one of the guards. To try and secure Steve’s release Dr. Wells pretends that Steve is from a rival organisation who are also trying to persuade Dr. Wells to build a Bionic man for them. As part of the charade he tells Steve that he is at the castle on his own volition and that Steve should therefore leave him alone there. However, instead of allowing Steve to leave, the Tucellis, suspicious that Steve is Bionic, imprison him and then observe him on close circuit television as he uses his Bionic powers to escape. When his captors threaten to kill Dr. Wells if he does not surrender, Steve reluctantly gives himself up outside the castle. The following morning a contest of unarmed combat is arranged to test Steve’s Bionics. He fights off successive individual members of Tucelli’s staff but is eventually overpowered by four men. During the contest Steve’s Bionic arm is damaged with a steel post and he is taken back into the castle to allow Dr. Wells to treat him. He pretends that only one of Steve’s legs is Bionic and injects a sub-conscious control drug into his right leg. With their captors under the false impression that the drug is taking effect, Steve and Dr. Wells seize the opportunity to escape from the castle. Quotes Rudy Wells: You alright Steve? Steve Austin: Yeh, I guess. Rudy Wells: I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble. It's my fault, I should have told you a long time ago. I'm sorry I encouraged you to think that I'd leave the government to make a bionic man for your company. Trivia * The bionic sound effect is used once for Steve and twice for Yamo as the two fight at the Tucelli castle. *This episode is highly unusual for its depiction of Rudy as a field agent. Though initially caught unaware at the top of the adventure, he performs thereafter with aplomb, easily manufacturing cover stories, and manipulating events to make his escape more likely. *This episode establishes that at least some part of Rudy's post-secondary education took place in Austria. Nitpicks * Guido & Karl ram Steve's car several times, at high speed, yet it remains undamaged. * There's obviously nobody inside the blue sedan when it goes over the cliff. *Steve asks his waitress to translate a phrase into the "Austrian" language. Scenes Deleted In Syndication 109